Transfer and assembly mechanism



G. DoRoTHEA ErAL TRANSFER AND ASSEMBLY MECHANISM I Apil 9, 1946.

' Filed June 24, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet l April 9, 1946.

awnoRoTHEA ET AL TRANSFER AND ASSEMBLY MECHANISM Filed June 24, 1943 4 sheets-shed v2 INVENTORS f 00H0 ni-,4 By GEMM@ c. ARA/07T AGENT April 9, 1946.

TRANSFER AND- ASSEMBLY MEGHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 24; 1943 I Lugfi--.

nv VENTO/es G/ME 006077,15: By v @fR/:Lo @ARA/orf G. DoRoTHEA ETAL 2,398,293

April 9, 1946.

. G. DOROTHEA ETAL 2,398,293 "TRANSFER AND ASSEMBLY MECHANISM Filed June 24, 1945 4 sheets-sheet '4 I. l 9 I I l "if JNVENTORS G1445 @eHow/EA By GFP/M0 C 24R/V077' GENT Patented Apr. 9, 1946 TRANSFER AND ASSEMBLY MECHANISM Gale Dorothea and Gerald C. Arnott, Bridgeport,

Conn., assignors to Remington Arms Company, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application June 24, 1943, Serial No. 492,020

8 Claims.

This invent-ion relates, in general, to a machine for assembling ammunition components, and, in particular, y machine for inserting caps in the heel ends of iacketed bullets. Moreover, the machine may be used forpriming or capping heads of cartridge shells. n

An object of the invention is to provide improved means for assembling component parts of an article. A further for aligning a metallic object is to provide means erally at Iii,l which are arcuately disposed on the gate immediately above the work supporting'and transferring means. In. the embodiment shown, the latter comprises a dial I8 rotatably supported on the base l and provided with circumferenf tially spaced work receiving apertures I9 and peripheral notches 29, as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and '7. The present invention pertains particularly to means'associated with the rotating dial'y and re' ciprocating gate for assembling caps in the heel ends of jacketed bullets.' f

Referring to Figs. 2 and 4, the jacketed bullets are fed into the apertures I9 of the rotating dial i8 in any suitable manner, as, for instance,v by

and arranged to actuate stop means on the occull hand and are intermittently rotated lcounterrence of an interruption in the feeding or assemclockwise by the dial I8, see Fig. 2, to the Several bly of the jackets and caps. successive operating stations.- j Other objects, features and advantages of the In the machine illustrated in the drawings, two invention will be more particularly described in of these Operating Sati'OnS are designated by@ the following specification. 20 cap inserting punch 22 and a ycap inspection In the drawings: Y punch 23 both carried on the reciprocating head Fig. l is a front elevation of a machine adapted I5. l Y to embody the heel cappingand inspection means The bullet jacket components O1' Caps are SUD- of thisinvention.' l plied to the machine from a suitable hopper or Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view 25 magazine 24 Which COmDrises a pail 0f spaced of the machine dial showing the'cap feeding and. parallel plates 25 and 25', the latter beingthe transfer means and bullet inspection device.` top plate and consisting preferably of glass or Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the cap feeding and other suitable transparent plastic material. The transfer means shown in Fig2. magazine is manually loaded'with caps'and is Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the improved 30 adapted to be detachably mounted on a trans-A cap carrying sector and jacket aligning means of verse frame member 26 of the machine at an this invention. v v acute angle to the vertical by suitable fastening Fig. 5 is a section of the cap supporting table means (not shown). on line 5 5 ofvFig. 4. f The mouth of the magazine is disposed in Fig. 6 is an elevation partly in section of the 35 alignment with a slot 26 in the frame member bullet dial and jacket aligning means in the di- 26. A wheel 2l' is mounted in the slot having a rection of arrows 6 6 of Fig. 4. knurled or notched periphery which is disposed Fig. 7 is a plan view partly insection' of the substantially tangential to one edge' of the'slot jacket inspectionrmeans and latch for automati- Suitable means are provided for imparting Gally Stopping the IOlatl'On Ofthe dl'el- 40 an oscillatory motion to thewhee'l and comprise -Fig. 8l is a sectional elevation on line 8-8 of a shaft 28 rotatably supported by a fixed bracket Fig. 7* r i" 29 and secured at one end to the wheel 2'I. The Referring to the drawings, Fig. l shows a Inashaft is provided at its opposite end with' apair chine which is typical of the kind of machine of radially disposed lever arms Swhich are conwidely used in bullet pointing and assembling opneetedby a pair of springs 32 t0 Suitable pills 33 erations. Briefly, the machine comprisesa base of a block 34 secured to a vshaft 35Which is oscil- Ili having a U-shaped vertical frame II provided lated by suitable means (not shown). Thus, as with a crank shaft I2 rotatin'gly 'mounted at its the shaft 35 isoscillated, the wheel 2I oscilla-tes upper end The crank shaft isfdriven from a suitin its slot 26' whereby its notched periphery enable power source (not shown) by a belt and gages and continuously agitates the caps being pulley, indicated generally at I3,and is providedv fed bygravity from the mouth ofthe magazine with a. connecting rod I 4 which carries a gate 24 into the slot Zi'iof the frame member 26;v The I5 adapted to be reciprocated vertically in suitcaps are thus fed without jamming or clogging able ways of the frame. The gate is provided with from the lowerend of the slot -26 into a chute a plurality of tool holding chucks, indicated gen- 36, the upper end of which is fastened to the transverse frame member 26 in alignment with its slot 26.

The lower end or mouth of the chute 3B comprises a detachable curvilinear portion 36 adapted to guide the caps from the chute onto the surface of a table 31. The latter has a vertically depending leg portion v310 suitably secured to thetable beneath the outer edge thereof and is bolted or otherwise xedly secured as at 31 to the base of the machine so as to support the table 31 in a horizontal plane slightly above the horizontal plane of the dial I8. A bracket, indicated generally at 360, is adapted to span the end 3S of the chute and to hold it securely on the table 31.

Suitable means are provided for .transferring the caps `from their delivery point on the table at the end of the chute to the first stationof the dial which, as stated above, is indicated by the reciprocating cap engaging and inserting punch 22. At this station, the cap is adapted to be disposed directly above a jacketed bullet supported in an aperture of the dial.

The Vcap transferring or carrying means comprises-a sector 38, see Fig. 4, pivotally secured on the table 31 by a bolt 39, as shown in Fig. The apex of the sector is provided with a bearing 4-0 welded or otherwise secured thereto adapted to accommodate an eccentric flanged bushing 42 for the purpose hereinafter described.

In its normal position with respect to the table, see Fig. 4, the radial edge 43 of the sector is substantially in axial alignment with the mouth of the chute at its point of contact with the table and is provided at its outer end with a semicircular notch or pocket 44 adapted to lie opposite the mouth of the chute so as to receive a cap being discharged therefrom. The Yend of the chute 36 is made arcuate, as shown at 45, so as to make a lsmooth sliding fit lwith the peripheral edge of the sector 38 and thereby permit a cap to be fed from the chute only when the pocket 44 ofthe oscillating sector is opposite the mouth ofthe chute.

V'Suitable means for holding a cap in the semicircular pocket 44 of the sector `comprises a lever member 46 which ispivotally supported to the sector in the horizontal plane thereof by means of 'a suitable bracket 41. Formed in the edge of the lever member 46 opposite the notch 44 of the 'sector is a semicircular notch 49 which is adapted to be urged into cooperative relationship with the notch 44 by a coil yspring 48, the latter being secured at one end tothe lever 45 and at its opposite end tothe sector 33.

Suitable means are provided on rthe lever 4B for displacing the latter laterally with respect to the sector whenever the sector has been moved into its lnormal position, as indicated in Fig. 4, and comprises a finger 50 whichv lextends forwardly from the end of the member 4S. This finger is adapted to engage or abut the end ofthe chute 36" 'shortly before the notch 44 of the sector is brought kinto alignment Ywith the mouth of the chute. lThe sector -and'member 413 are Ithus spread apart against the resisting force of the coil spring 48, and, accordingly, a cap is enabled to slide freely from the mouth of the chute into the notch 44 :of the sector. when they sector is moved counterclockwise, the ngerf50 of the lever 46 will be disengaged from the end of the chute and the lever will thereupon be drawn into engagement with the adiacent edge 43 of thesector bythe coil spring `48 so that its notch 49 moves into cooperative rela- Tnereafter tionship with the notch 44, thus securely clamping the cap in the moving sector. The cap is carried or transferred thusly to the rst operating station.

The eccentric bushing 42, referred to above, comprises suitable means for adjusting the sector so that its cap Vsupporting notch may be properly positioned with respect to the cap inserting punch 22 at the rst operating station. Thus, by loosening the bolt 39 and turning the knurled flange of the bushing 42, an adjustment of the sector may be effected wherein the center of rotation of the sector may be changed slightly for accurately aligning the notches 44 and 43, or a cap held therein, with the reciprocating punch.

The sector is oscillated clockwise and counterclockwise by suitable means comprising linkage, indicated generally at 52, embodying a universal joint pivotally connected at one end to the sector and at its oppositeend to the lower end of the vertically disposed lever 53 which in turn is pivoted intermediate its ends to the frame of the machine. The upper end of the lever 53 has a cam roller 54, see Fig. 3, adapted to be held in engagement with a suitable cam surface 55 of the reciprocating gate by means of a coil spring 5B which is fastened at one end to the lower end of the lever 53 and at its opposite end to a fixed part of the machine. An adjustable stop screw 53 is provided adjacent the lower end of the lever for limiting the counterclockwise pivotal movement thereof. Thus,A as the gate reciprocates vertically, the sector will be oscillated in a horizontal plane first to move into a position to receive a cap from the mouth of the feed chute and then to carry the cap to the first operating station.

Means are provided at the first station for aligning a bullet jacket supported in an aperture of the dial with :a .capwhich has been carried to the'flrst operating station bythe transfer sector 38. The jacket aligning means is shown in Figs. 4 and Gand comprises a substantially rectangular arm'v 51 fastened by bolts 53 or' other suitable means Ato kthe table 31 so as to extend in a radial direction Vwith respect to the bullet dial I8. Mounted on the underside of the arm 51 in a horizontal plane beneath the horizontal plane of the sector 38 is a pincher comprising a pair of suitably shaped fingers 59 pivotally supported intermediate their ends by a `pair of pins 60 spaced longitudinally of and xedly mounted on the arm 51.. A semicircular recess 62 is formed in the inner edge lof each'nger to form a jaw portion 63 adapted to vpartially vembrace the periphery of a bullet jacket. The opposite end` 64 of each finger -is provided witha vertically `disposed ange 65 which is drilled horizontally to accommodate a suitable spring pilot member 65 threaded or otherwise secured therein. A coil compression spring 61 is shown telescoped over the opposed ends of the springy pilot members and is adapted thus to urge the ends 64 of the fingers apart and thereby constantly force the `jaws of the fingers together whereby the latter are enabled to firmly embrace a bullet jacket. The jaws of the fingers are disposed at substantially rightangles to the arm 51 Aand in the circular path of the bullet jackets beingmoved to suc.- cessive vstations by the intermittently rotating dial; moreoverjthe jaws are adapted to be Vac-v curately located `immediately beneath the cap inserting punch 22. Thus, as a bullet jacket is moved to the first station, it first engages and spreads. open the jaws o f the pinchers and is thereupon :firmly embraced by these jaws and held thus inaccurate alignment with the punch 22.

One edge of the arm 51 is slotted, Aas at 68, to form a resilient leaf spring 69 integral with the arm at its inner end.

aligning pincher From the first operating station, the jacketed bullet is carried by the dial out of the pinchers second operatingstation which is indicated by the cap inspection punch 23 in Figs. 1 and 3, The inspection punch is spring mounted in a chuck |B of the reciprocating gate and 'is its upper end with an 4adjustable col- 14 having a substantially rectangular notch 15 in one edge which forms a shoulder 15. The lower end or tip of the punch is of reduced diameter, vas indicated at 16, for entering freely into the heel end of the bullet jacket.

Suitable means adapted to cooperate with jthe inspection punch 23 for automatically stopping the machine in the event a cap is missing from y bullet jacket comprisesa lever 11 pivotally supported at 18 to a bracket 19 fixed to the machine frame and provided at its rear end with a, vertically mounted adjustable screw 80 which is adapted to engage a stop means which, in this instance, comprises a micro-switch 82fastened tothe xed bracket 19. A suitable coil spring 83 is secured at its lowerend to the 11 is indicated generally screw supported on the to engage the forward placement of the lever at 84 and comprises a bracket 19 and adapted end of the lever 11.`

As shown in Fig. 3, the forward end Yof `the lever 11 tapers to v path of the reciprocating inspection punchA 23 into th'e path of the notched collar 14. Thus, when the punch 23 moves downwardly, the shoulder 1 5of the collar 14 overlies the end 11 of the lever 11, as shown by the dotted 'lines in Fig. 3.

'the stud with the shoulders is performed at the second operating station; At this same station, suitable means are provided foi-inspecting for the presence of a. bullet jacket in an aperture of the dial.

Refer-ring to Figs. 2, 7 and 8, the bullet jacket inspection device comprises a otherwise formed in its upper forward edge. The sides or walls 81 of the groove v86 are substantially parallel and are closed at the rear end of the groove by a transverse substantially vertical wall or 'shoulder 88,'

pair of bolts 94 adapted to xedly secure the block 85 to the base of the machine.

As shown in Fig. 7, the longitudinal axis ofthe groove 86 is disposed substantially radial to the aXis of the diall 8.

Mounted to slide in the groove 86 is a substantially rectangular latch member 9'5 which is somewhat shorter than the groove 86 and substantially equal in width to the width of a notch v28' in the periphery of the dial |8. The latch is provided with a hole'96 drilled horizontally in its rear end, the hole' being in axial alignment with the hole 89 of the shoulder 88 and adapted to accommodate the forward end of a coil compression spring 91, the rear end'of which abuts the notches 20 of the dial. In its normal position, the front edge of the latch is urged by the force of the compressed spring 91 against the notched periphery of the'dial I 8'.

Suitable means for limiting the length oi stroke of thelatch 95 in its groove 86 comprises a, substantially rectangular recess |80 yformed in one side of the latch having end walls |02 and adapted to accommodate the end |83 of a stud screw |04 which is threadedly secured in a hole drilled hori- 4zontally in one wall 81 of the block 85. Forward and rearward movement of the latch in the groove is thus limited by engagement of the end |03 of |02 of the recess. down in the groove |05 which is fastened The latch member is held by means of a cover plate width of the slot being slightly less than the width of thelatch `so as' to form lips |81 overlying the edges of the latch.

Secured on top of the latch of which is constructed and arranged to make |01 of the cover plate |65. The forward end of the member |09 overlies the periphery of the dial I8 in a horizonan arcuate edge substantially equal in length to the width. ofv the notch. 20 whereby a jacket will continuously engage and retain the linger H0, and. hence the latch 95` in their normal retracted positions when the latch isopposite a notch 20 of. the dial, see dotted lines in Fig. '7. Prior to being engaged by a bullet jacket, the nger H andY latch are restrained in their normal retracted positions by the nose of the latch which engages the periphery of the dial, as shown.

It will be clear, however, that whenever a jacket is absent from a dial aperture, the finger l I0 will be held back in its normal retractedposition only so long as the nose 98 of the latch engages the periphery of the dial and that Whenever a notch Z0 of the dial moves opposite the latch the spring pressed latch will be free to move` forward into the notch 20. As a result, further rotation of the dial is immediately stopped. The machine maybe restarted by manually pushing the finger rearwardly so as to withdraw the latch from the. notch of the dial` andthen partiallyv rotating the latter so that the nose oi the latch will, again engage the periphery of the dial.

In operation, as the dial l' is intermittently rotated, jacketed bullets are fed manually into the dial apertures I9. The jackets are thereby moved counterclockwise, see Fig. 2, so as to pass between and spread open the resilient fingers 59 of the pinchers', The jacket is thus momentarily lheld bythe pinchers at the rst operating stationl in alignment with the :cap assembling punch 22. Meanwhile, a jacket heel cap has been picked up byy over to a position directly beneath the reciprocating assembling punch 22. Thereafter, as the punch moves downwardly, itV engages `the cap and pushes it out of theV sector into the open end of the'axially aligned jacket. The punch and sector then return to theirinormall positions While subsequent rotary movementV of the dial carries the capped jacket out of theA pinchers to the second operating station. On approaching the second station, the linger |09 will be engaged` by the jacket and held in its normal. retracted position until theV jacket ispositioned immediately below the cap inspection punch 23, the spring urged latch 95 being thereby held out of locking engagement withv a notch of the dial. At the second inspection station, the punch 23.- descends to inspect for a cap. If a cap in the jacket, the machine will continue to travcrse the jacket to subsequent stations (not shown) where the heel of the jacketed bullet is crimped and the bullet finally ejectedfrom the machine, However,y if a jacket is not in a dial aperture at the second operating station or if a cap has not been inserted into the` jacket, then the latch 98 or the respective lever 11 will be actuated in the manner described above to stop the machine and enable correction of the malfunction. v

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for assembling component parts of an article comprising an article supporting dial adapted to move a plurality of articles to a series of operating stations; means at one station for feeding components to said articles; and means at a subsequent station for stopping said dial in the absence of an article in said dial comprising a member spring biased to move into engagement with said dial to stop the movement thereof, and an article inspection member carried by saidstop'L member and adapted to-extend into the path of articles in said dial and to be displaced from Saidpath by engagement the oscillating sector and carried.`

is properly located with an article in said dial, said springy biased stop member being held out of engagement with said dial whenv said inspection member is engaged by an article in said dial.

2. In a bullet assembling machine comprising a dial having bullet jacket supporting apertures and peripheral notches adapted to move a plu.- rality of jackets to a series of operating stations; means at one station for feeding caps into the heels of said jackets; and a reciprocable stop member supported adjacent the periphery ofV said dialV and resiliently urged normally to engage in the notches thereof for locking said dial and jacket inspection means carried on said. stop member intermediate said feeding and stopping stations adapted to extend into the path of a jacket in an aperture of said dial and to be displaced from said path by engagement with a jacket, said stop member being withdrawn from engagement with said Vdial notches by displacement of said inspection means and released to lockingly engage in said notches when said inspection means is disengaged from a jacket in said dial.

3. In a bullet assembling machine, the combination with a dial having jacket receiving apertures, a table, and a chuteA for feeding caps onto said table; of an oscillating member pivotally supported on said table to move in a plane parallel to the plane of said table constructed and arranged to receive a cap supported on said table at the end of said chute and to carry said cap into position to be assembled in a jacket supported in a dial aperture; pivotally mounted iingers spring biased into gripping position to engage and align the jacket With said cap when the latter has Ybeen carried into assembling position; a reciprocating punch for assembling said cap in the heel of said jacket; means to inspect for the presence of a cap in the heel of a jacket; and inspection means constructed and arranged to extend into the path of jackets in said dial to detect the presence of jackets in said dial ape-rtures by engagement with said jackets, said inspection means having a latch normally adapted to lockingly engage said dial but to be held in ineffective position whenever Y said inspection means engages a jacket. f

4. In a machine for performing a series of operatioris on articles; means for supporting and traversing the articles to a series vof operating stations, said traversing means having shoulders; means for stopping said article traversing means in the absence of an article therein comprising a latch slidably mounted substantially in the. plane of. said traversing means and spring biased normally to move into engagement with one of the shoulders of said traversing means to stop the movement thereof; and an article inspection member carried by said latch constructed and arranged to extend into the path of articles in said traversing means to engage articles in said traversingr means and thereby to hold said biased latch out of. engagement with a shoulder of said traversing means.

5., Ina bullet assembling machine comprising a dial having projectile receiving apertures; a table; a cap feeding chute arranged to deliver caps upon the table; oscillating means;v means for pivotally supporting said oscillating meansA on said table, said oscillating means being adapted to receive a cap supported on said tabley at the end of said chute and to vcarry saidy cap into a position to be assembled on*` the heel of a. projectile in said dial;

, a support fixedV to said table; and lingers pivotally mounted on said support above said dial and spring biased into gripping position to engage and align a projectile in said dial with the cap when said cap has been moved into assembly position.

6. In a bullet assembling machine comprising a dial having projectile receiving apertures; a table; a cap feeding chute arranged to deliver caps upon the table; oscillating means; means for pivotally supporting said oscillating means on said table, said oscillating means being adapted to swing in a plane` parallel to the plane of said table and to receive a cap supported thereon at the end of said chute to carry said cap into a position to be assembled on the heel of a projectile in said dial; a support xed to said table; ngers pivotally mounted on said support above said dial and spring biased into gripping position to engage and align a projectile therein with the cap when said cap has been moved into assembly position; and resilient means formed as an integral part of said support to stop the cap carrying means in assembly position in axial alignment with said pivotally mounted fingers.

7. In a machine for assembling an article from component parts, the combination comprising a kmovable device for receiving a plurality of identical components and indexing said components successively to an assembly station; means at said assembly station comprising a xed support and component gripping devices mounted on said support adapted to engage a component in said indexing device and hold said component accurately in assembly position regardless of variations in the movement of said indexing device; and means for delivering a second component to the rst component thus held in assembly position comprising a second component supply, and an oscillating transfer device adapted to receive and transfer components successively from said supply to a position in alignment with the first component held in said assembly position.

8. In a machine for assembling an article from component parts, the combination comprising a movable device for receiving a plurality of identical components and indexing said components successively to an assembly station; means at said assembly station comprising a xed support and component gripping devices mounted on said support adapted to engage a component in said indexing device and hold said component accurately in assembly position regardless of variations in the movement of said indexing device; means for delivering a second component to the rst component thus held in assembly position comprising a second component supply, and an oscillating transfer device having a pivotal mounting on said support and adapted to receive and transfer components successively from said supply to a position in alignment with the rst component held in said assembly position; and means for adjusting said oscillating transfer device comprising an eccentric bushing associated with said pivotal mounting arranged to change the center of rotation of said transfer device to accurately align a second component therein with the first component held in said assembly position.

GALE DOROTHEA. GERALD C. ARNOTT. 

